by V. Vaughn
Jax thuds against the door with his arms crossed as he asks Jared, “Did you contact Tori?”
“Yes,” says Jared. I watch Jax push off the door and step closer to the girl. He towers over her as he asks, “What’s your name?”
She gazes up at him with a look of confusion on her face as she says, “Sasha.” She blinks and then shakes her head quickly as if Jax is trying to hypnotize her.
Jax squats down and reaches for Sasha’s fingers. They both jerk a little when he takes them. They stare at each other, and a vision flashes in my mind. Jax and Sasha are laughing at a dinner table as if they’re dating.
Jax says, “She’s my true mate. I need to get her out of here before the warriors arrive.”
“Oh my god.” I look at the girl that is destined to be with the very being she hates most in the world. And I wonder how she’s going to react when she finds out that she’s one of us. Jax reaches for the cuffs and says to her, “I won’t let anyone hurt you, but you’ve got to trust me.”
I flash to the day Jared was almost shot. He said the same thing to save me.
“Wait,” says Jared. “Once we explain, I’m sure the warriors won’t force her to go with them.”
Sasha’s wrist restraints thud on the floor, and Jax asks, “If this were Courtney, what would you do?”
Jared glances at me and says, “Go. We’ll cover for you.”
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Someplace safe.” Jax pulls Sasha to her feet, and she stares at him with a dazed look in her eyes.
I walk over and wrap my arms around the girl as she stiffens. I say, “This will all work out. You’ll see.”
Jax tugs Sasha toward the door, and when he gets there, he looks back. “I’ll be in touch.”
Jared is next to me, and he places his arm around my waist. “We’ll figure this out, Sasha.”
She glances at me, and I think she’s looking for confirmation that she’ll be safe, so I say, “You can trust him.” I can’t tell if she believes me. Once they’re gone, I turn to Jared and gaze up into his face. “What are you going to tell your warriors?”
“I just told Tori that it was a case of mistaken identity, but they’re still coming to investigate the other incident.”
I wonder how Jax disposed of the man Jared killed yesterday and ask, “Do you think Sasha will be okay?”
“Yes.” Jared leans in close. “Never underestimate the power of true-mate love.” He kisses me, and the glow of our bond reassures me that it’s true. Jax will do whatever it takes to keep Sasha safe, because he’s finally found his destiny.
12
When the warriors arrived, Jared and I had cleaned up all traces of Sasha’s presence, and we were snuggled on the couch, watching a movie. My mate spared me the details of the dead hunter by leaving me inside while he sorted it out with the men Tori had sent. A cork squeaks as I twist a wine key into it. I’m still jittery from today’s activities and think a little alcohol with heated-up spaghetti for dinner will help Jared and me relax.
When Jared returns, the aroma of garlic from our food warming in the oven welcomes him as I walk over to him with a glass of Zinfandel. “Here. I bet you need this.”
“Thanks,” he says as he takes the drink. He swirls the burgundy liquid in the glass and gazes into it as he says, “I could never be a warrior.” Jared lifts his face to gaze at me. His pain is written on his face as he asks, “Why do we kill each other?”
“Ignorance that has taken generations to foster. Do you even know when this battle started?”
Jared shakes his head. “It’s just something I’ve always known.”
“Like Sasha said. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” I ask.
“Yeah.” My mate sips his wine, and we’re silent for a while before he says, “You don’t need to worry about Jax and Sasha. The true-mate connection means she’s safe. Our clan would never kill her as long as she accepts it.”
“What if she doesn’t?” I think about the hate that radiated from the girl when she talked about werebear. “She’s not going to be very open to it.”
Jared says, “It’s hard to resist.” His eyes are deeper in color now, and the heat that simmers there ignites my desire.
I step closer to him and ask, “Hungry?”
He nods as he takes my wine from me. Our glasses thump softly on the table when Jared sets them down, and he licks his lips before he says, “Very. I seem to recall a theory we need to test.”
“Oh.” I reach out and grab his waistband, and the denim is soft in my fingers as I tug him closer and say, “Dinner can wait.”
He slides his hands under my shirt to lift it up, and I quiver as his skin makes contact with mine. “Ready for me to blow your mind?” he asks.
I chuckle. I’m ready to experiment with the idea that if true mates bite each other during orgasm, they’ll both experience intense pleasure beyond the usual. I say, “I’m told that goes both ways.”
Jared waggles his eyebrows at me and tosses my top over his shoulder. I let out a low growl as I unhook my bra. As I reveal my breasts, Jared sighs and begins to strip too. When we’re both nude, tiny hairs stand up on my skin, and my mate pulls me into an embrace. He kisses me with passion that matches mine.
Our connection zings through me as I explore the hard and soft places of his body with my hands. I want to touch him everywhere and memorize the man that is all mine. He must want the same, because Jared’s hands roam all over me too as he walks us to his bedroom. My newly-magnified senses mean I’m moaning with the pleasure he brings. I ask, “God, is this what it’s always been like for you? Because I’m close already.”
We break apart, and Jared nods as he says, “Lie down, and lets see how many times I can make you scream my name.” My insides flex uncontrollably as I scramble back on the bed to comply.
Jared drinks me in with his eyes as he gazes at my body splayed out before him. He groans as he leans over me, and he kisses my mouth. But he doesn’t linger, and I tilt my head back as he moves to my neck. My eyes fall shut as Jared’s lips sear me with his love. I tremble beneath him as he nips his way down to my breasts. He laps at my nipple, and hot breath on my skin tickles as he takes his time.
His hair is soft in my hand as I thread my fingers through it and utter small cries of delight. Jared moves on down my torso, and I gasp when he swirls his tongue in my navel before traveling to the junction between my legs. When he latches on to my sex, a low rumble vibrates through my body, and my orgasm races to the surface. My mate’s hands are firm on my thighs as he pushes them further open and thrusts his tongue inside me. I buck up with my climax, and his name does come from me as I shatter.
Jared holds me there as long as he can, and when I begin to sink, he rises up and surprises me with his dominance when he flips me over like a rag doll to command, “On your knees.”
I rush to obey and expose myself to him when I bend over to lean on my forearms. “Courtney, my love.” Jared swipes his tongue over my throbbing folds.
“Jared, oh—” He continues to pleasure me with his mouth, and when I’m close to coming again, he growls before he rises.
Jared’s grip on my hips is hard enough to hurt. He rams his cock into me forcefully and begins to pump hard. The power of my mate slamming into me in a primal way appeals to my bear, and my skin tingles with the feeling of her close to the surface. I clench the sheets in my hands as my channel flexes around my mate.
Suddenly Jared stops and pulls out of me. I’m about to ask what he’s doing when he twists my hips to put me on my back again. I gaze into his eyes that flash with his bear and spread my legs to welcome him into me once again. He resumes an almost violent pace of pumping as I thrash beneath him. I say, “Oh god. Jared, I’m so close.”
He slows his thrusting and opens his mouth to reveal his fangs. I whisper, “Yes.” The memory of my change rushes to me when his teeth puncture the tender skin of my upper breast, but the warmth that begins to spread is the opposite
of before. It’s like I’ve taken a euphoric drug, and I begin to lose myself, but I manage to hang on long enough to let my bear have her way. I latch onto Jared’s shoulder to bite him too. The tang of his blood on my tongue triggers my orgasm, and I’m barely aware of his roar as my own breaks free.
I soar with pleasure beyond reality before I sink slowly back to the real world. I become aware of the mattress beneath me as well as the weight of Jared as we lie together in a sweat-slicked heap. Jared rolls us to the side so he’s spooning me, and he cups my breast with one hand while he places the other firmly on my belly. He kisses my shoulder, and a tiny aftershock runs through me as he asks, “How was your first werebear sex?”
I sigh. “Glorious. Humans have no idea what they’re missing.” I twist to face him and inhale the scent of our essence. The threads of our connection are securely intertwined, and I imagine they’ll only continue to weave together as time passes. I gaze into Jared’s green eyes that seem to dance with joy as I say, “I love you so much, Jared.”
He places a tender kiss on my lips before he says, “I love you too, Courtney.”
13
The slow, sad song of Jared’s cello fills the shed that has become my studio, and I let it flow over me. I gaze at the light streaming in through the window as it illuminates my true mate. Golden rays lighten Jared’s dark hair around the edges to make him glow like the love in my heart, and I close my eyes a moment to commit the vision to memory.
My pencil scratches lightly against my canvas as I sketch out my next painting of Jared. It’s the third one in a series I plan to present to a local gallery in hopes of securing a show. Becoming a werebear has heightened my ability to see color and the nuances of light in a way that fuels me to a near-manic state. My creativity is flowing like water right now, and if Jared didn’t force me to stop, I fear I’d stay up for days without sleep to paint.
We heard from Jax a couple days after he and Sasha left, and while he didn’t say they’re lost in true-mate bliss, I have faith their love will find a way. The music stops, and I glance at Jared. He says, “Lunch. Can you take a break?”
I nod and set my pencil down. “My muse needs to eat, so I’ll let him.”
He rises and holds out his hand as he says, “What if I told you I plan to make something with bacon?”
I grip his strong fingers and let him pull me up. “I’d say I’ve got the perfect mate.”
The grass is soft under my sandaled feet as we walk toward the house, and I glance over at the tree where I discovered Sasha. I recall how neither Jared nor I could kill her, even though we both knew that was what we were supposed to do. I had thought my bear side taking over would erase my humanity, but I realize now that the human I was is still very much intact. I still struggle with belonging to a species that has decided humans are its enemy. And while Jared assures me it’s only a small population, I have trouble accepting the blind hate on both sides.
But I don’t regret becoming a werebear. My destiny seems to be evolving, and I think I’m only beginning to realize it. While I have no idea where I’ll be led, I’m confident the reasons are just. My new state has enriched my life with physical abilities that make me nimble and strong, while my creative side is experiencing a renaissance that energizes my spirit.
The door to the house swishes when Jared opens it, and I step into the place that has become my home. In just a few short days, my mate and I have fallen into a routine that reminds me of an old married couple. Plates clash as I remove them from the cabinet, and a knife taps steadily as Jared slices tomatoes for our meal. We move about the kitchen as if we’ve been doing it for decades.
The cabinet door clicks when I open it for water glasses. Jared brings our lunch to the table as I carry our drinks, and when we sit, a vision pops into my head. I’m sitting on a bench at a park, and the tinkle of little girls’ laughter sounds as I watch my mate push two swings that contain what appear to be twins. The chains squeak steadily over metal as he sings a childish song, and I close my eyes while I hug myself as if I can hold the image of my future family in my heart.
Jared asks, “What did you just see? Because I guess it’s wonderful by the way you’re smiling.”
I say, “It is.” My stomach gurgles, and I reach down to place my hand on my belly as I wonder if I’m pregnant. Sometimes my visions let me change what’s about to happen, and sometimes they let me glimpse a slice of my life to come. I reach my hand out for Jared and say, “Each day with you reminds me that life is a blessing to be cherished.”
“Each day I’m alive I remember how I wouldn’t be here without you, Courtney.”
“You saved me too.” I reach over for his hand and thread my fingers through his. It reminds me of how our lives are so intertwined that I can’t imagine one of us without the other. I picture our happy family and know that two girls are going to grow up in the warmth of so much love. I say, “Destiny put you in my path, and while I was afraid becoming like you would take away the things I value most, I’ve come to realize it makes them more.”
My mate lifts my hand to kiss it and says, “And you’ve made me see what matters most. I love you, my true mate, for making me whole.”
“Yes.” I lean forward to brush my lips over his and say, “I love you, Jared. And I know our life is going to be rich with the love we both deserve.”
Jared releases my hand and lifts his water glass. “To love, laughter, and happiness.”
My cup clinks against his as I say, “To all of that with you.” We lean in and kiss as the threads of our life twist together.
* * *
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More Rocked by the Bear:
Andre
Adrian
Aleck
Aaron
Jared
Jax
Get more of Violet’s bears:
Called by the Bear.
Complete Trilogy
Called by the Bear Book 1
Called by the Bear Book 2
Called by the Bear Book 3
Tempted by the Bear :
Tempted by the Bear Book 1
Tempted by the Bear Book 2
Tempted by the Bear Book 3
Tempted by the Bear Complete Trilogy
Desired by the Bear is Coming Summer 2016
About the Author
V. Vaughn lives in New Hampshire and spends winter weekends in the woods of Maine. She might have seen a bear, or two….
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